Who Rules?: Relations

The room seemed so large. At this time of day it was normally overflowing with ponies, each of them either talking, arguing, or waiting for their opportunity to do one of those things. Considering what day it was, and more importantly what was happening on this day, the entire docket had been cleared. She was on her own and waiting. Patiently is how she would prefer to describe it, but she knew better.

“Superintendent Trueblood?”

The sound of her name caused her head to turn and her heart to flutter. Fumbling for a moment, she took a deep breath and smiled at young stallion on the far side of the room. “Yes, Cobblestone? Do you have news?”

“No, Superintendent. I’m sorry. I was just… I was just checking to see if you needed anything? You haven’t eaten anything all day, and you’ve barely had anything to drink. I don’t like it that you—“

“I’m fine,” she interrupted with a slight chuckle. “A little nervous, perhaps. Anxious. But I’m fine. Thank you.”

“If you say so, ma’am.” His reply was gracious, but his body language spoke a different tone. “If I may, Superintendent, you may not be handling this as well as you think. I’m very worried that you—”

“Cobblestone,” she interrupted softly with a single word. “There is nothing world threatening happening. No major—or minor for that matter—crisis has arisen calling for my immediate action.” As she smiled, a glint seemed to flash across her teeth. “I’m just anxious to see my marefriend.”

“I know, I know,” he said quickly. “I understand that, but you must understand that the ponies of New Equestria look to you as a leader. As a stable figure still trying to find some sort of hope in the chaos after Empress Coldheart. And I know that you know all of this, but it is my job to remind you. You know they need you and I worry that you interrupting the normal course of things—even for a good reason—might bring a bit of concern.”

“Would you rather I try to deal with all of the commotion normally going on inside this room while looking up every few minutes to see if anypony new had walked in?” She shook her head. “I think it’s better for them to wonder than to see me obviously distracted.”

His only response was a slow, steady nod.

“And,” Trueblood continued, “It’s not like I see her very often. She does live on another world, after all. Technically. So, I think I’m allowed a day off to see her, okay?”

A long moment of silence preceded him taking a deep breath. “Yes, ma’am. Of course.”

“It’s been four months,” she said.

“I understand,” he answered.

“She helped save our world. Helped to capture Fantasia.”

“I know that.”

“It was because of her that we discovered the Elements of Harmony here in New Equestria.”

“I’m well aware of that.”

“She’s also an ambassador from her own Equestria.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

A single hoof rose and struck down on the stone floor suddenly. “Then what is your problem with her?” Trueblood almost shouted.

“I—I don’t have a problem with her, ma’am. She—”

“Then just let me have this day.” Her voice returned to normal levels and she stepped over to him, looking him straight in the eye. “Just…just this one day. I just want one day.”

He took another deep breath and sighed. “Yes, ma’am.”

The soft sound of laughter fell between them, lying somewhere between nervousness and relief.

“Am I interrupting something?”

This time the voice penetrated Trueblood to the core. She was quite sure that her heart completely stopped for the several minutes—though in reality less than a second—that it seemed to take her to turn towards the familiar, and welcome, sound.

“Twilight!” In a flash of golden light, Trueblood disappeared from where she stood, reappearing instantly beside her target. The pristine white of Trueblood’s coat set off the lavender shade of Twilight Sparkle’s perfectly, and their manes intertwined as they brought their necks together in a close, impassioned hug. They separated a moment later, parting only far enough to come together once more in a kiss.

“I—I’ll leave you two alone,” Cobblestone said awkwardly as he trotted away.

“What? I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to….” Twilight pulled back, looking over just in time to see the young stallion exit the room. She looked back at Trueblood with wide eyes. “Oh no. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to—”

Not another word got out before Trueblood moved back in for another kiss, silencing the young mare. If it upset Twilight, she hid it extremely well. After an unmeasured time the two mares pulled apart again.

“Hi,” Twilight said softly.

“Hi yourself,” Trueblood replied, lowering her head slightly, causing a lock of her mane to cross over her left eye.

A gentle purple glow surrounded the hair, moving it away to give Twilight a better view of her marefriend’s face. “I really hope I wasn’t interrupting anything. I was just…. It’s good to see you.”

“No, no, you were fine,” Trueblood said, her voice barely above a whisper. “That’s just Cobblestone. He’s…. Technically he’s called my aide-de-camp, but he’s really like my right hoof. He’s just always there for me when I need something.”

Twilight pulled her head back slightly. “Really?”

“Not like that! Nothing like that!” Trueblood shook her head. “Strictly professional.”

Immediately, Twilight broke into a laugh. “I know that, silly. It’s not like I wasn’t raised around a castle or anything. Ponies like you need ponies like him. I’ve seen it many times.”

“Well, then stop getting me flustered! He was already worried about my mood, and now he’s going to be inconsolable,” she stated.

“Your mood?” Twilight asked. “What was wrong with your mood? Is something wrong?”

Trueblood snorted a short laugh. “Not really. I’ve just spent the day pacing around the room, wondering when you were going to get here. Hoping that the portal was still working. Trying to figure out if you were definitely going to make it. Praying that you would still be happy to see me. You know, little things like that.”

The cheeks on Twilight’s face turned a darker shade of purple as she looked towards the floor. “You were that worried about me?”

“Why wouldn’t I be worried?” Trueblood’s magic slowly wrapped itself under Twilight’s chin, raising her face back up until their eyes met once more. “I love you.”

“I love you, too!” There was no space between the end of Trueblood’s statement and the beginning of Twilight’s. “I just…. Well, you don’t need to worry about me, Tru.”

“I like worrying about you, Sparky,” she answered. “I mean, I would much rather worry about you on a much more local basis, but I understand that you have your responsibilities and all.”

“Yeah, about that…” A small fluttering sound rose from behind Twilight.

“Huh?” Trueblood stepped to the side, looking for the source of the unexpected sound. Her eyes grew to saucers as she watched a pair of wings rise up and unfold above Twilight’s back. Slowly, she turned back to look at Twilight. “Sparky?”

One eye on Twilight’s face closed tightly as she looked back with a wince. “Surprise?” she said softly.

* * * * * * * *

Every pony who passed wore a smile on their face. Some of them bowed their heads, while others awkwardly nodded and quickened their pace. A few even turned away when they saw her, doing their very best to make it appear to be coincidental rather than intentional.

No matter the reaction, Celestia smiled back and kept walking. It was an unusual sight, she realized, to see her walking the castle wearing neither crown, peytral, or shoes. Every pony she passed knew who she was, not to mention what she once was, which left them rather unsure of how to react. It had been several weeks now since she stepped down from the throne of Equestria, but that didn’t lessen the impact for anypony walking past. To them, she was still the ruler they had known all their lives.

Regal. Nobel. Inspiring. Powerful words to describe what was likely the most powerful being alive. They refused to see her as anything lesser than she was, and that made them very uncertain on how to react to her new status. Which left them with no precedence on how to react upon seeing her now, hence the varied and unique responses she witnessed every day.

And if it bothered her, she never let it show. In fact, to look at her it would seem as though her thoughts were many, many miles away. Which was likely what caused her to walk directly into the pony cleaning the floor in front of her as she rounded the corner.

Water spilled everywhere as the bucket clattered along the floor. The mare responsible for it whirled around blindly, her voice raised and angry. “Watch where you’re going you—” She stopped herself silent as her eyes seemed to triple in size.

“Forgive me!” Celestia hurried to catch herself, even as her golden horn came to life and caught the spreading water, redirecting it back into the bucket with ease. “I didn’t see you and I….” She sighed. “I’m very sorry. That was quite clumsy of me.”

“No, Your Majesty…. I mean, Princess, or, um….” The mare stumbled a bit herself.

Celestia repressed a laugh. “Princess is fine. I am still one, after all.”

“Of course you are! You…. I mean, yes, Princess. I know that.” Her voice trembled.

Celestia’s face turned even softer as she leaned down closer to the mare. “Would you like to leave now?”

“Yes, please.” She nodded quickly as she spoke.

Pulling back, Celestia nodded gently and the mare scurried away without another word, causing another smile to grow on the alicorn’s face.

“Are you tormenting our subjects, Celestia?”

The voice came from behind her, allowing Celestia the opportunity to close her eyes for a moment and gather herself before turning around.

“Of course not, Chrysalis,” Celestia spoke as she slowly swung to face the changeling—who was not alone. A pair of imposing figures, each equally as large as she, walked side-by-side towards her. And where the first to speak caused her to tense up, the other one took that tension away in an instant.

“She knows that, Tia,” Luna stated. “She is only teasing you.”

“Teasing?” Chrysalis recoiled in an overly dramatic display. “I am simply concerned for all of the subjects of Equestria. As their princess it is my duty, after all.”

Moving towards each other, Luna and Celestia met in the middle of the hall, bringing their necks against each other in a fond, if somewhat subdued, embrace.

“Were you looking for us?” Luna asked after she pulled back.

“No, not really,” Celestia said easily. “Just wandering about.”

“Well, I’m sure you have to come up with something to occupy your time now.” The words rolled off of Chrysalis’ tongue with a heavy coating of honey.

“Actually, I was using that time to think about what to do about our…situation. The next step in discovering where the invaders to our throne may be hiding,” Celestia replied.

“Yessss,” Chrysalis hissed. Her entire chitinous body stiffened, become more rigid than before. “I do wish you would allow me to be more of a part in that matter, Celestia. The fact that I am being held at a distance from it is very disquieting.”

“We’ve been over this, Chrysalis,” Celestia explained. “You’re too close to the problem. We need to keep you at a distance or run the risk of endangering you. You were their primary target, after all.”

“Which means I should be striking back!” Venom dripped from her mouth as Chrysalis took a step forward. “It is not right for me to be waiting for them to make their move.”

“You’re not,” Luna said, gently placing a wing on Chrysalis’ withers. “You’re being smart. You’re letting us find out more about this situation so that we can make the proper retaliation. Be patient, Princess. You’ll have your opportunity.”

With a long, slow twist of her neck, the changeling brought her face around to look at Luna. She closed her eyes slightly and turned her scowl to a smile. “Oh, Luna, thank you.” Taking a step closer, she brought her neck against the dark alicorn’s in a hug—and gently rubbing her muzzle into Luna’s coat. Without moving her head, her eyes shifted over to meet Celestia’s gaze. “It’s good to know that somepony here cares for me.”

“We all do, Chrysalis.” Luna pulled back, and as she did Chrysalis turned to look at her again. “You simply have to allow us to care for you.”

“I’m learning,” she answered and then glanced towards the tall windows along the wall. “Well, it’s getting late. I need to go to the Day Court and deal with the matters at hoof. It is my responsibility, after all.” Her eyes slowly blinked once as she turned back to Luna. “Will I see you tonight, Princess?”

“Of course you will,” Luna answered. “Have a good day, Princess.”

“And to you, Your Majesty,” she bowed slightly to Luna, and then turned to the other alicorn sister. “Good day, Celestia. At least you made it a pretty one.”

Without waiting for—nor receiving—a reply, Chrysalis turned and walked away from the gathering, heading towards the throne room. It was well after she turned a distant corner that Luna finally broke the silence.

“You’re a horrible liar.”

“What?” Celestia twisted suddenly to look at her sister. “What do you mean?”

Luna smiled. “You were looking for us.” Turning, with Celestia following suit, she began to walk down the corridor towards the tower holding their shared quarters.

“I was not,” Celestia stated bluntly. “There is no reason for me to lie about that.”

“Of course not,” Luna’s smile became a smirk.

Four steps later Celestia spoke again. “You are spending a lot of time with her, you know. Why are you meeting her tonight?”

“It’s not a meeting, Tia. It’s just us speaking to share information between the Day Court and the Night Court. You and I did the same thing, remember.” Luna answered.

They walked slowly side by side, the morning light through the windows playing against Celestia’s coat, which cast a constantly shifting shadow on Luna’s midnight-black. Celestia nodded in agreement as she spoke, “Ah, yes. Of course. It was just the way that she phrased it, I suppose.”

Despite her best effort to hide it, Luna giggled.

“What was that?” Celestia glanced over at her wife.

“Nothing. Nothing, it’s just…”

“What?” Celestia urged.

“You’re jealous.” Luna’s voice was laced with laughter.

“I am not! Why should I be jealous?” Her mouth hung open for a moment before Celestia turned to look straight ahead once more. “What would make me jealous?”

“Chrysalis,” Luna answered bluntly.

There was a roll of her eyes before Celestia spoke again. “I am not jealous of Chrysalis. If anything she is jealous of me and trying her very best to aggravate me.”

“It seems to be working.”

“It is not!” Spinning back to look at her sister, Celestia’s mouth once again hung open.

“Then why were you wandering the halls looking for me?” One of Luna’s eyebrows raised slightly.

With a heavy sigh Celestia answered, “I wasn’t. I already told you that. I just needed to get out of the room and change my scenery. I may not wear the crown any longer, but I do still have concerns of my own, you know. Responsibilities.”

They walked into a section bereft of windows, casting a heavy shadow over both of them momentarily.

“I’m sorry,” Luna said softly. “I know that you are worried. I still feel that you did the right thing. That we did the right thing. She’ll be fine.”

“I truly hope so, Luna, because it’s too late now. What’s done is done.” There was a frailty to Celestia’s voice hiding beneath the reassuring concern of her regular tone. A full minute of silence followed her statement, broken by her words once again. “Though…you were taking a long time this morning. You’re normally in bed by now.”

The corner of Luna’s mouth curled up once again, revealing a fang. “Oh? I hadn’t noticed. I must have lost track of time.”

It was Celestia’s eyebrow that raised this time. “Really? What kept you so distracted?”

“Chryssie and I were—”

“Chryssie?” Celestia interrupted.

“Hmm? Oh, ah, yes. Princess Chrysalis has all but insisted that I call her that. I…thought I had mentioned that before.” Luna cleared her throat after she spoke.

“I see. Do go on.” There was a brief ruffle of white feathers.

“As I was saying, Chrys…that is, Princess Chrysalis and I were discussing the matters of importance to the Day Court before today’s session, but it strayed away from business to other topics. Chrysalis is an amazing mare. She has been doing a marvelous job of learning the history and traditions of Equestria.”

“I have no doubt. And that caused you to lose track of time?” Celestia asked.

“Yes. Yes, it did.”

The pair walked up to the massive pair of doors that led into their shared chamber. With a slight urge of her magic, Celestia opened them and stepped to one side to allow her sister to enter before her.

“There was just…talking, then?” Following Luna into the room, Celestia gently pulled the doors closed behind them.

Magic the color of night lifted the crown from Luna’s head and deposited it on a runner table along the right wall. At the same time, golden magic pulled the drapes over the windows shut, blocking the majority of light from entering the room.

“You are jealous,” Luna snickered.

“Do I have something to be jealous of?” Celestia asked as she walked up to her beloved, staring her directly in the eye.

“Of course not, Tia. I love you.” A warm tone went with the smile that answered just as much as the words.

“I’ve never doubted that for a moment, Luna. Forgive me.” Closing the short gap, Celestia brought her lips to Luna’s, expressing her feelings physically. As they broke apart, each of them let out a long breath.

Celestia licked her lips. “Are you tired?”

“No, not really, my love,” Luna nuzzled against her wife’s neck.

“Goddess.” Stretching her neck up to allow Luna better access, Celestia spoke down with clear and concise words. “You will address me as Goddess.”

“Yes, my Goddess,” Luna said between kisses peppered down her sister’s neck.

A huge smile shone on Celestia’s muzzle as her great white wings rose from her back and gracefully enveloped her younger sister, covering her completely as Luna continued to kiss lower with every passing second.

* * * * * * * *

The sound couldn’t get past the protective spells on the walls and door, despite its best effort. Neither mare held back their growing vocalizations of passion which echoed back to them, but they were hardly aware of any of it.

The white coat on Trueblood faded slightly into the off-white sheets. There was enough contrast to set her off from the cloth, but just barely. The edges where hair met bed were hard to make out—made even more difficult by her constant motion.

Twilight’s lavender was easy to spot, even in the dim light. The majority of said light came from Twilight’s horn, with its faint purple glow casting a tinted sheen to the whole of the room. She stared down at Trueblood, watching the mare’s eyes intensely. Trueblood was doing her best to keep her eyes open, but the task was difficult.

Between them was a glowing shaft of magic, extending from one marehood to the other. Rhythmically, Twilight drove her hips downward, pressing the magic further into herself, and subsequently into Trueblood. Each thrust was accompanied by flap of her wings, adding to the power behind it, and creating squeals and moans of delight from both parties.

“Oh, goddess,” Trueblood moaned. “I…I’m so….”

“I’m almost there, too,” Twilight answered. She leaned forward, grabbing hold of Trueblood’s hind legs and forcing her hips upward, allowing her to increase her tempo. Faster and faster she rammed against her lover, to the point where their nether lips joined in an erotic kiss of their own.

Despite her best effort, the passion overcame Trueblood’s resolve and she closed her eyes. She sucked her lower lip between her teeth and bit down gently as her hooves reached up to take hold of Twilight’s. “Twilight,” she moaned.

“Yes!” Redoubling her efforts, Twilight sped up, her body more rocking back and forth than pulling away. The action continued to drive the magic dildo into both mares, but added something more. With each thrust forward, Twilight’s hardened clitoris rubbed against Trueblood’s, and then again repeated as she pulled back.

The bed beneath them strained, the wood screaming from the assault the couple unleashed. It was easily drowned out in both mare’s ears by the sound of their own lust. A steadily growing song that quickly reached crescendo.

“Oh, Twilight. Twilight!” Trueblood’s voice broke as she came. Her back arched up off the bed, pushing her sex higher, trying to join with Twilight even more closely.

It was only a matter of seconds before Twilight joined her. “Yes! Oh, Celestia, yes!”

A primal noise rose up from Twilight even as she pressed down harder, while the juices from her marehood soaked Trueblood’s coat. The rapid thrusts became a series of short, sharp ones, and her body twisted sharply for a moment, until she finally collapsed on top of her lover. The magical glow surrounding Twilight’s horn snuffed out, and they lay there together, each of them wanting to move but finding the thought easier than the action.

Finally, Twilight shifted her weight and fell off of Trueblood, sliding to the mare’s left side. She rolled over, extending her hoof out and laying her foreleg over Trueblood’s barrel, nestling her muzzle into the other mare’s neck.

“That was great,” Twilight purred. “I told you that trick would work.”

“Uh-huh,” Trueblood lay still, her eyes still closed.

“I’ve been working on it for a while, but with only myself to—ahem—experiment on, I could only guess on its effect. I knew that my calculations were correct though. The right frequency makes all the difference.”

“Uh-huh,” Trueblood droned.

“And now that there are two of us,” Twilight nestled in a little closer, pressing the whole of her body against her lover, “it’ll be easier to master the spell. We can give it another try here in a few minutes.”

“Uh…huh?” Trueblood’s eyes popped open. “No. Oh, goddess, Sparky. I…I can’t. That was our third go-round. I just…I can’t keep up with you.”

Raising her head up, Twilight’s eyes narrowed as small as tightly as her lips. “Oh no! I’m sorry! I…it’s the whole alicorn thing. I’ve got a lot more energy now, and—”

“A lot more doesn’t even start to cover it,” Trueblood laughed. She brought her right hoof across her body, and let it play in Twilight’s mane. “I’m not complaining—not really—but you gotta give me a few minutes. You don’t know what it’s like being a normal unicorn with an alicorn.”

“I, uh…” Twilight swallowed and twisted her face into a smile. “No. No, how could I possibly know anything like that?”

“Let’s just….” Trueblood shifted, turning her body so that she faced more directly towards Twilight. “Let’s just talk for a bit, okay? I didn’t even get a chance to ask you about the whole wing thing.”

“Heh, no, not really,” Twilight chuckled. “I was worried you were upset, but then you basically jumped me there in the room, and, well, it’s just a good thing we teleported up here. I hope no pony thinks you’re missing.”

“They’ll figure it out. Won’t be the first time I was suddenly gone,” Trueblood said.

“What? What do you mean?” Twilight blinked.

A quick shake of her head threw aside the question. “So, how did this whole thing happen? I thought alicorns were some weird personification of some thing or something. Or the child of an alicorn at the very least—at least sometimes. I could never tell if Fantasia was upset about me that way or not. She probably would have killed me on the spot if I was born with wings and a horn. In any case, you aren’t either one of those.”

“Uh, well, no.” Twilight’s eyes danced about briefly. “I’m…. Well, Princess Celestia referred to me as an ‘elevated alicorn.’ From what I gather its a very rare thing. It’s…it’s where a unicorn manages to accomplish something that unlocks a…. Wow, this is hard to explain.”

Reaching over, Trueblood moved Twilight’s mane away from her face. “Well, why don’t you just tell me what happened.”

After a deep breath, Twilight nodded. “I can do that. That’s easy enough.”

A long pause immediately followed.

“This would be the place where you would start talking, Sparky,” Trueblood giggled.

“Yeah. Yeah, I know that. I…uh….” A quick flick of her wings moved Twilight slightly on the bed. “Okay. All right. Well….”

“Do you not want to talk about this, Twilight? Did something bad happen?” Trueblood rose up from the bed slightly, her face scrunching together.

“No! Not at all. It’s just hard to describe, actually.” Twilight put her hoof on Trueblood’s shoulder and rubbed gently. “I mean, without it sounding just…odd.”

“I’m pretty used to odd. My mother is stuck in a giant heart of ice in the courtyard of this place, after all,” Trueblood said with a half-laugh.

“Right. Okay. Well, there was this spell, and I figured out what was wrong with it, and then I disappeared and reappeared next to Princess Celestia in some strange sort of…place. She never explained it to me. It was like some extra-dimension or something. Anyway, there was a brief ritual and….” She shrugged. “I’m an alicorn.”

Trueblood blinked. “That’s it? I was expecting some grand story with a heroic moment or something.”

“Well, like I said, this isn’t common. I’m the first unicorn to go through this in centuries.”

“Uh huh.” She nodded and looked over Twilight’s body and down to the wings. “So, why? What was it about the spell that got you there? I mean, I know that you’re pretty damn special, but…this is pretty damn special.”

“I don’t know. There’s a lot about it that I still don’t understand. I can’t even really fly yet. Not well, anyway,” Twilight answered with a smile. “You aren’t weirded out by it, are you?”

She shook her head. “Did it seem like I was weirded out?” Trueblood readjusted herself, putting her hoof on Twilight’s chest. “I mean, it’s a shock, yeah, but not a bad one, really.”

“I’m so glad to hear you say that!” Twilight beamed instantly. “I’m hoping everypony else here will feel the same.”

“I hope you don’t mean the other Elements. You were here the last time I saw any of them.”

“What?” Twilight asked. “Where are they?”

“Well…” Trueblood’s eyes traveled to the ceiling as she wandered through her memory. “Trixie is back in the Crystal Empire, both Gilda and Goldfeather are still off looking for some enclaves of griffons, and Ditzy went with Husk to try to find Toy…Chrysalis, I mean.”

“And you haven’t heard from your Chrysalis still? Not since the war?” Twilight followed up immediately.

“No. Husk has been trying to find her, but she either doesn’t want to be found or doesn’t want to be found by him. Or he’s not telling us about it, which I seriously doubt,” Trueblood said, looking back over at her lover. "He's as loyal to me and this place as any pony I've ever met."

“So, nothing. No problems. Not a single changeling issue at all?” Twilight asked.

Pulling her head back slightly, Trueblood narrowed her gaze at Twilight. “No, nothing. Why such an interest in Toy all of a sudden?”

“Oh, no reason. I just…. Well, we’ve had problems with Chrysalis back home, so I guess I’m just worried about what she might do here. That’s all.” Twilight moved her muzzle back to Trueblood’s neck, nuzzling her some more. “That’s all.”

“Don’t worry about us, Sparky. I’ve still got this under control,” she answered. “Everything is under control.”

They lay together in silence.

* * * * * * * *

She walked into the throne room with her head high and her step light. Every time her hoof hit the floor her hips shifted, moving her tail back and forth with a huge sway to it. A natural motion she exaggerated with an action that was just as natural to her now as walking normally.

The throne room was mostly empty, which wasn’t a huge surprise. This late in the day all of the activities of the Day Court were finished—what paltry duties it had these days, at least. It was odd to see the change, but it amused her to no end. A near complete change of responsibility. All of the major rulings and decisions were made in the middle of the night now, while lesser dealings and activities went through the day.

Of course, the fact that there was a changeling on the throne during the day didn’t help build confidence. Though, she did have to admit that Princess Chrysalis had done an exceptional job at creating a cozy little hole for herself here in the castle.

Which was the main reason that she showed up, actually.

“Ah,” Chrysalis purred as she finally caught sight of the young mare, “the renowned Miss Fleur de Lis. I’m so glad that you came by today.”

Fleur stopped and bowed her head deeply, bending a front leg to lower herself closer to the floor. “It’s an honor, Your Highness. How may a humble pony such as myself help you this day?”

Chrysalis laughed. “You can drop the facade, dear. It took me a little while to remember your face from that night, but now that I’m looking at you, there is no doubt. You’re the mare that came and woke me during that snowstorm. Dapifer was reluctant to give me your name for some reason, but…well, I have my sources.”

“I’m sure I don’t know what you are talking about,” Fleur replied.

“Of course you don’t.” The tone of Chrysalis’ voice dropped down near a growl. “Well, let me take a moment to explain it to you, then, just so you know.”

In a steady motion, Chrysalis rose from the throne and stretched to her full height. With every word spoken she moved down the ramp and closer to Fleur. “I was poisoned. Poisoned by a filthy hive of invading changelings daring to enter into my territory. It led me to act, oh, let’s call it irrationally, shall we?” She reached the end of the ramp and continued to pace towards Fleur, who stood unmoving. “That fact was discovered by somepony, who then came out just in time to prevent my likely demise, and halt a battle between the other two princesses which almost destroyed not only the city, but the foundation of Equestria. Does any of this sound familiar?”

Chrysalis made it to Fleur and walked past her, slowly progressing in a circle around the mare, her eyes glued to her the whole time. Fleur kept her eyes constantly forward.

“I’m a model, Princess. I’m just paid to look pretty. I heard some stories about a magical accident that happened, causing all three princesses to become ill, though. Is that what you’re talking about?” Fleur’s voice was deep and sultry, with no hint of waver to it.

Turning her head slightly to the left, Chrysalis spoke one word, “Leave.” As one, the guards in the room moved towards the exits in silence. In moments, the two mares were alone in the room.

“Now then,” Chrysalis turned back to Fleur, her smile growing wide and exposing her fangs fully, “let’s start again.” She walked back towards the throne, stopping short of the ramp, and turning back to the unicorn once again. “There is a great deal I do not know about you, Ms. de Lis, but the fact that you were there that night—that you were the mare who saved my life—is unquestionable.” The fragile looking wings on her back buzzed, echoing the drone always lurking in her voice. “I appreciate secrets. Being who and what I am, I find them quite wonderful in a way, actually. What I don’t like is when one of those secrets might be damaging to me.” She lowered her head, shadows seemingly growing up to cover her face. “I need you to tell me about those changelings.”

“I beg your pardon?” Fleur raised an eyebrow. “I thought you knew about the changelings. You’re their queen, aren’t you? And they are now integrated into Equestrian society—at least here in Canterlot. Isn’t that the case?”

The glowing green eyes peeking out of Chrysalis’ shadowed face narrowed. “Do not play stupid. You are the one who discovered them, I’m sure of it. Celestia is keeping that information from me, and—”

“Luna,” Fleur interrupted.

“I beg your pardon?” Chrysalis growled.

“I mean, wouldn’t it be Princess Luna who would be keeping any information like that? It’s my understanding that she currently rules Equestria while Princess Celestia is on sabbatical for personal reasons. So, Princess Celestia wouldn’t be responsible for any secrets, would she?” Fleur batted her eyelashes and tossed her mane back.

The corner of Chrysalis’ mouth twitched. And then again. Until it broke into a full smile. “Well well well, aren’t you delightful. Those were not exactly the words of a flighty model, by any standard. Why don’t we cut to the chase, shall we?” She stepped back towards Fleur, rising up to her full height once more. “I want you to work for me. I need somepony of your skills, Ms. de Lis. An actual pony—not a changeling—but a pony who can find out things for me. Be my eyes and ears in the castle.” She stopped in front of her, looking down at her. “What do you say?”

“I have no idea what you are talking about, Princess.” Her eyes opened wide and her mouth grew small.

“Don’t make me laugh,” Chrysalis stared at her, and then allowed her eyes to trace along the full length of the mare’s body. “You are hardly innocent. In fact,” A long tongue slipped from the changeling’s mouth, curling up along her cheek and slathering her muzzle with faintly green saliva, “I could offer you some…personal benefits as well. Something very special.”

“Oh my, Princess! Are…are you propositioning me?” Fleur gasped. “I’m honored.”

“You should be,” she purred back. “And you should also be saying yes right about now.”

“Well, I’m not sure what I could do to help you,” Fleur said. “And while I’m…intrigued by the other offer, I’m afraid I will have to decline.” She smiled. “I can’t have anything ruining my reputation. If I were caught in a compromising situation, well, the scandal could ruin my career. You do understand, don’t you?”

“Oh, I understand,” Chrysalis said with a nod. Her tongue came out to play across the front of her teeth. “I understand perfectly.”

“Well then, I guess I’ll be going.” For the first time since entering the chamber, Fleur moved. With a slight bow of her head she took a small step backwards. She didn’t make it any further before Chrysalis spoke again.

“This isn’t the end of this, you realize. You have information, and I need it. I want it,” she explained. “And I get what I want.”

“Well, then you better be talking to Princess Luna. She’s the one who would know everything, right?” Fleur took a couple more steps backwards and then turned and pranced towards the door. “Good-day, Princess.”

The door opened and closed, leaving Chrysalis alone once again.

“And good-day to you, too, Ms. de Lis. I simply cannot wait to see you again.” She smiled and walked back up the ramp to the Equestrian throne.

* * * * * * * *

“Tru?” Twilight squinted at the line of light falling across her face. The room remained dark, save for the brightness coming from beyond the cracked door. Her hoof once again felt the bed beside her as her eyes adjusted, both of them confirming that she was alone.

Rising up, she glanced around the room and found no pony there, either. She rose to her hooves and brushed her mane aside gently. The faint sound of a familiar voice slipped through the door alongside the light, bringing a smile to Twilight’s face.

“Tru?” She was only a step or two away from the door when she spoke, but the words beyond kept her from going any further.

“…and you’ve got to take some form of action, Superintendent. It’s becoming too much of an issue.” The voice was faintly familiar, but Twilight couldn’t put a name to it yet. “You can’t keep avoiding this.”

“What did I ask for? I asked for one day. That was all. You act like I tried to leave for a month.” Twilight winced. Trueblood’s tone was far more strained than she had ever heard.

“It wouldn’t have been the first time.” Twilight’s wings twitched as her feathers ruffled at the tone of the young stallion.

“I beg your pardon?” Trueblood’s tone matched Twilight’s response. “If you have something to say, Cobblestone, just say it.”

Cobblestone! The pony from earlier in the day. She knew she had heard the voice.

“Somepony has to, ma’am!” Twilight could feel the tension in the silence from the next room. Finally, Cobblestone spoke again. “I’m sorry. You know that I have nothing but respect for you, Superintendent. I warned you that something like this might happen.”

A second silence followed, this one lingering longer. It was time to break it herself.

“What might happen?” Twilight entered the room with her head high. The late sun of the day poured in through the windows on the western wall, casting a long shadow behind her. Both Trueblood and Cobblestone stood nearer the windows, beside a table covered in a multitude of scrolls.

“Twilight! I didn’t know you were awake. I was just…just…” Trueblood’s voice trailed off slowly.

“Just what? What’s going on?” She stepped over to Trueblood and placed her hoof on her lover’s withers.

“Everything, Sparky. Everything is going on. I didn’t want you to worry, but since you were here last, it’s just gotten…bad.” Trueblood lowered her eyes, focusing on nothing.

“Bad? What do you mean? What’s happened?” Twilight asked soothingly.

“If I may,” Cobblestone spoke up, “there has been a great growing unrest in the world. After the citizens of the Six Kingdoms came to realize that Empress Coldheart was, indeed, no longer ruling the world, many tried to fill the space left behind. The only voices of reason were the Elements of Harmony. They proved to be an inspiration, and rallied the ponies and others together.” He smiled. “It was decided that a council would be formed. No single pony would be allowed to rule ever again, but even so, there had to be one pony in charge of it all, and that pony was, and is, of course, Trueblood.”

“Okay,” Twilight answered with a slow nod, “I knew most of that. Basically. Tru’s told me the same thing in the letters we’ve exchanged.”

“Good, but did she tell you what happened afterwards?” Cobblestone raised his head. Twilight shook hers. “The Council. A gathering of what was considered the best and wisest of us all put into one place. It was such a good idea.”

“I…I don’t understand,” Twilight said softly.

“Too many cooks,” Trueblood answered, causing both of the other ponies to turn her way. “Too many recipes. With Fantasia gone, there was nothing unifying us. Ponies who I had known for years started to…change.”

“Superintendent Trueblood is responsible for running the Council. It is her duty to organize and see to it that Equestria and the other members of the Six Kingdoms all have a chance to benefit and grow. To be part of a new, equal government,” Cobblestone explained.

“Okay,” Twilight nodded and answered quickly. “I can see how that might be a problem. I would imagine that what one pony sees as necessary isn’t what the other one wants.”

“It’s not just that, Sparky.” Trueblood’s horn lit, and several scrolls raised up into the air. “You see these? There are a couple of dozen of these here, and everypony tells me that I should expect more to show up soon.” One of the rolled pieces of parchment levitated over between Trueblood and Twilight. “Each and every one of these scrolls calls for the same thing. It’s a piece of the Six Kingdoms that wants out. These are petitions of independence.”

“Oh…” Twilight muttered.

“And if that many separate countries form, it will lead to one certainty—war,” Cobblestone stated. “Superintendent Trueblood has been fighting to keep the Council together, but it has worn on her. Even she has been escaping duty lately.”

With a sharp turn of her head, Twilight stared at Trueblood. Her mouth fell open and she gasped. “Trueblood! That’s not right!”

“I know!” She blurted. “I know, but…but I don’t think that I can do this, Sparky. It’s not the same as fighting against Fantasia. I don’t know how to do this.”

“I can’t believe it,” Twilight said, shaking her head.

“I know. I’m a failure.” Slowly, Trueblood started to turn away, only to be stopped by a gently caress of purple magic.

“No, Tru. I mean I can’t believe you didn’t tell me any of this before now.” The ease of Twilight’s voice brought the rest of Trueblood back to facing her.

“I didn’t want to worry you,” she answered.

“Well, you forgot one thing,” Twilight said. “You have a secret weapon.”

“I do?” Trueblood pulled back.

“She does?” Cobblestone spoke almost simultaneously.

“Yes, you do. The key to all organization and structure. Something that can overcome even the most difficult of planning and scheduling to make sure that every pony gets their fair share of the spotlight.” Taking a step back, Twilight spread out her wings. For a moment it almost seemed as though a trumpet flare played in the background and a glow suddenly surrounded her. “Me.”

* * * * * * * *

“Hello, Princess.”

Luna did her best to show no reaction, but Fleur still noticed a slight twitch after she spoke.

“Good evening, Ms. de Lis,” Luna spoke with a friendly tone, even as the hair on her coat lay down even once more. “Despite my sister’s warnings, I’m still amazed at your ability to be silent.”

“Thank you.” Fleur walked over to the small table and sat across from the princess. “Coming from you, that means a great deal.”

The room hadn’t changed at all since Luna took over the task of meeting with her. Same small table in a lonely tower, with only a hint of decoration to it. The only light in the room provided by the moonlight pouring in through the windows. Luna glanced out the window and into the night, taking count of the ponies walking far below. She turned back to the unicorn.

“I think it only fair to warn you that, should you continue to approach so silently, there is a strong possibility that I may react poorly at some point,” Luna said with a calm even tone. “So, for your safety, stop doing it.”

“My apologies, Princess. It’s just become something of a second nature for me. At least when I’m on official business,” Fleur bowed her head as she spoke.

Luna took a deep breath. “Speaking of which, you asked for this meeting. What is it?”

Raising an eyebrow, Fleur opened her mouth and paused. After a moment or two she closed her eyes and then her mouth, and then opened them and began again. “Princess Chrysalis contacted me this afternoon. Apparently she’s been investigating what happened and has connected me to that night. I denied everything, but I thought you should know.”

“I see.” Luna nodded. “What do you think she’s going to do?”

“Continue. She offered me a position working for her, and I believe that she will follow through until I say yes or she finds what she’s looking for at the very least.” Fleur’s hoof traced along the edge of the table, while her eyes remained focused on the princess.

“I see. That does sound like her, yes.” Once more, Luna turned to look out the window. Reflexively, Fleur followed her eyes, tracking them from where they sat to the tower directly across from them. Both mares turned to each other at the same time. “I have to say, I’m uncomfortable with this.”

“No doubt. Chrysalis’ continued prying into my role that night endangers—”

“No.” Luna shook her head. “No, you misunderstand. I am not comfortable with this.” Her hoof motioned to the table, gesturing back and forth between them. “With you and I meeting like this in secret and talking this way.”

“I’m…I’m not sure I understand, Princess,” Fleur narrowed her eyes.

“Why are we doing it? What are we accomplishing?” Luna stood from the table and paced away, continuing to talk without looking at her. “This path has no good conclusion.”

Watching her pace, Fleur answered, “We are trying to preserve Equestria, Your Majesty. I was told to watch Princess Chrysalis to make sure that she—”

“She is a princess, and we are treating her like a criminal.”

“With all due respect, Your Majesty, before she was a princess, she was a criminal.” Fleur’s voice was hard. “And a genuine threat to all of Equestria.”

When Luna turned back, Fleur felt her heart move into her throat. A pale teal glow emanated from the princess’ eyes, and the gleam of her fangs shone in the pale moonlight. “She is a princess! I know better than any pony what it means to be pushed aside by others, especially in a time when you are feeling vulnerable. Do you want that? Do you want to see her go down a path that I know far too well? Or would you rather just see her gone?”

Pushing herself away from the table, Fleur stood up and faced Luna directly. “Several years ago I swore an oath, Your Majesty. It wasn’t to you, or even to your sister, but to Equestria. Since that day I have done everything that I can to protect it. Normally, that means making sure that the Princesses of Equestria are kept safe, but those rules changed when a known enemy was brought in and made a princess.” Fleur took a deep breath. “Not that long ago I was put in charge of a task force for the express purpose of finding out what I could, and then dealing with, the new Legion Hive of changelings. If you want me to deal with that threat, you’ll have to accept some of the more uncomfortable aspects of this job,” she took a step forward, “Your Majesty.”

“Your job is to report to me and then do what I tell you!” Luna growled.

“Only to the point where I feel that it will not threaten Equestria itself!” Fleur replied.

There was no comparison between them. Luna towered over the unicorn, in every conceivable way.

“Are you calling me a threat to Equestria?” Luna’s voice was barely above a primal level.

Fleur lowered her head slightly, keeping her eyes locked with the princess. “Of course not. I know better than that. You’ve proven yourself multiple times. The only pony doubting you right now is yourself.”

“How dare you!” Luna shouted.

“Princess, do you think for a single moment that I would be foolish enough to do anything to deliberately anger you?” Fleur shook her head. “No. No, there is something else at play here, and you need to ask yourself what it is. What is it about Princess Chrysalis that is making you act this way?”

Luna turned around and walked to the far window. “Go away.”

“You didn’t give me any instructions about what to do regarding Chrysalis,” Fleur stated.

With a single wave of her hoof, Luna dismissed her. “I said go away. You know your duty. Do it.”

There was a long silence as Fleur stared at the vague silhouette of the Goddess of the Night in the dark of the room. Without another word, she left as silently as she entered.

It was a full minute before Luna raised her hoof and slammed it against the wall, causing a fragment of stone to fall away.

“Damn it,” she muttered. “Damn it all.”

* * * * * * * *

“Good morning, sleepyhead!”

“Well, good morning to you, too,” Trueblood walked into the room, smacking her lips gently. “You’re up extra early.”

The table in the room was covered in reams of paper spread out in a seeming chaos. Beside the table were two of the other chairs foregoing their normal use, and instead currently serving as convenient impromptu bookshelves. Somehow, Twilight had managed to get multiple stacks of books to sit on the same chair at the same time.

“Well, there’s a lot to be done, so the quicker I got started the better,” Twilight trotted over and kissed her marefriend on the cheek lightly. “Cobblestone brought all of the scrolls and texts that I asked for last night, and once they got here I just—”

“I get it, Sparky. I get it.” Trueblood shook her head, tossing her mane over to one side. “So, what have you figured out?”

“Well, there are a lot of different issues at play here. All of the council members seem to be playing on various issues for their reason to secede. And the nuances of each makes it rather difficult to—”

“Uh, Twilight. It’s still early for me,” Trueblood interrupted with a smile. “Can you just tell me if there is a chance for us?”

“Breakfast!” Twilight answered.

There was a long gap between Twilight’s answer and Trueblood shaking her head. “What?”

“You need to have breakfast. It’s not good to do complicated work on an empty stomach.” With a happy hitch in her step, Twilight moved over towards the door. “Why don’t we go out and grab something to eat, and I can go over everything that I’ve read so far this morning? That way I get to give you the information, and we both get to eat.” She glanced to the side briefly. “To be honest, I’ve been really looking forward to you getting up. I’m starving.”

As she stepped over, Trueblood let out a short laugh. “Well, what kind of host would I be to let my marefriend go hungry?” A golden glow surrounded her horn and the door beside Twilight opened. “After you.”

“Why, thank you,” Twilight bowed playfully and stepped out. “I hope your chef has a stocked kitchen. I could really go for a plate of braised daisies with cream.”

“I don’t have a chef,” Trueblood answered.

“What?” Her head snapped around fast enough to make a sound. “But…but the castle has always had a chef. It…I just…I never even considered that this one might not have a staff of ponies.”

“It’s not as empty as the first time you visited, but right now it’s still basically me here, and I don’t want anypony thinking of me like they did Fantasia,” Trueblood explained. “So, every pony who lives here has to carry their own weight. Heck, I’m not too happy with the fact that Cobblestone acts like he does around me. All ponies should be equal. That’s the common theme we have around here now.”

The long hall felt as much like home as the castle Twilight knew, but it lacked some of the nuances. The stained glass. The familiar faces. Small things. Before she knew it, they were outside the castle proper and heading into the city.

“Where are we going?” Twilight asked.

“A little diner I go to sometimes. Best breakfast in Canterlot.” She elbowed Twilight lightly. “Better than anything a stuck up chef would make in a castle, anyway.”

The city of Canterlot itself was alive with motion. Twilight marveled at the ponies moving around and about. Her first trip here found a lifeless shell of a city, but it didn’t take long for life to come back once again. She couldn’t help but smile.

“There it is,” Trueblood stopped and pointed towards a single building. A one-story structure lined with windows. The place was already busy, with dozens of ponies inside it.

“Yeah, that looks like a diner. A popular one, too,” she said jokingly. “It doesn’t have a sign, though. Does the place have a name?”

“Hoofbeats,” Trueblood answered. She glanced over at Twilight and smirked. “Or at least that’s what I call it. C’mon.”

Twilight fell in behind Trueblood as they got closer. Her eyes kept scanning the street, trying to find familiar landmarks.

“It’s odd. It’s Canterlot. At a glance I can tell it’s Canterlot, but when I look closer none of the same details are there. None of the businesses are right. Well, right isn’t probably the correct word, but…well, you understand.”

“What did you expect, Sparky?” Trueblood laughed. “Your world isn’t the same as ours. We had a lot to rebuild.”

“So did we,” Twilight sighed.

“Oh. Oh, Twilight. I wasn’t even thinking,” her voice turned soft. “What Fantasia did to your world was…. I’m sorry.”

“No. No, it’s okay. I know what you meant.”

“How are things going over there, anyway?” Trueblood asked.

“It’s getting back to normal. It’ll be another year or two before all of the damage is repaired, but it’ll get done.”

The door opened as they approached. Two ponies stepped out of it, each of them smiling as they saw Trueblood. After the first one passed, the second one held the door open for both of them to enter.

“Thanks,” Trueblood winked as she walked in.

“Yes, thank you,” Twilight said just after. She met the pony’s eyes just long enough to see the expression fall on his face. The door almost hit her as he let go of it as she trotted past.

“Well, that was rude,” Twilight muttered.

“What was?” Trueblood looked back at her.

“That stallion let go of the door as I was walking in.”

“Hey, not everypony can look as good as me, Sparky,” she teased. “I probably threw his timing off.”

A quick roll of her eyes was all the answer Twilight needed.

“C’mon, let’s go get a booth,” Trueblood moved ahead, and after a few steps found her way to a seat.

“This place smells amazing,” Twilight said as she sat across from Trueblood. A simple setting with a checkerboard tablecloth and enough space to seat four ponies. If she hadn’t been so hungry, Twilight might have argued for them to take a smaller table, but in this case her desire for food overcame her social considerations. One of the menus from the table immediately levitated open in front of her. “If the food matches the way it smells, I’m going to have to give you a special thanks later.”

A quick glance over the menu confirmed the response Twilight was looking to achieve.

“I…might hold you to that, Sparky,” Trueblood replied as she smacked her lips.

“Well, it would have to be after we finished going over all of the paperwork. Like I was telling you earlier, each of those petitions had its own angle for wanting to leave. If it was one unified point they were trying to make, it would be easy to handle. This isn’t shocking, though. From the way you were describing things, the problem is that each of these different groups is wanting to have their own voice, and the feel like it is being drowned out because of all the other voices speaking at the same time. If we can find….” Twilight’s voice trailed off suddenly. “Uh, Tru? What’s going on outside?”

Looking out the window beside their booth, Trueblood saw somewhere around twenty ponies standing outside the diner. All of them were doing the exact same thing: staring at she and Twilight.

“That’s…not normal,” Trueblood stated.

“I’m not crazy, right? They are staring at us.” Shifting uncomfortably, Twilight moved the menu slightly to block a bit of the direct line of sight between her and the crowd.

“You’re not crazy.” Trueblood set her menu down and turned in the booth. Twilight’s eyes lit up.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m going to go see what they want,” Trueblood said. “I don’t feel much like being stared at all breakfast.”

“Are you sure? They look…angry.” Twilight took a moment to glance back at the crowd, which seemed to have gotten larger since she last checked.

“Don’t worry, Sparky.” A glint of light appeared on Trueblood’s smile. “I can handle a small group of ponies.”

“That’s getting bigger with every second!” Twilight urged in a whispered tone.

“Hey, don’t worry about it. I promise you—”

“Excuse me.” The sudden voice caught the attention of both mares. It was a mare with a grey mane and dappled coat. On her flank was a light brown circular shape littered with dark brown dots.

“Cookie!” Trueblood’s voice sang. “I want to introduce you to Twilight Sparkle. She’s a guest of mine, and I was telling her about your place. She’s already complimented the scent and can’t wait to taste your food.” Trueblood’s eyebrows bounced.

“It smells delicious!” Twilight added.

Cookie’s eyes remained firmly on Trueblood. “I’m sorry, but I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”

“What? What are you talking about?” she asked in return.

“I need you to leave. I’m refusing service.” A hard edge grew behind the mare’s voice.

“Uh, I eat here all the time, Cookie. That doesn’t make any sense.” Trueblood’s brow furrowed tightly.

“I won’t serve her kind here.” The mare’s voice turned cold. “I need both of you to leave.”

“Her kind? What are you…” The answer came to both of them the same moment that Twilight’s wings fluttered nervously.

“No alicorns,” Cookie said. “Leave.”

Twilight turned her head to the window once again. The size of the crowd outside had easily doubled. She now realized that each and every eye was not focused on both she and Trueblood, but specifically on her.

And they didn’t look happy.

* * * * * * * *

“…and I believe that will complete your docket for tomorrow, Your Highness.”

Chrysalis sat back, staring out the window of her chambers to the garden maze in the distance. There was almost no sign of any destruction. If you didn’t know that the majority of it had been destroyed by a nigh-cataclysmic battle of goddesses a few weeks back, you wouldn’t be convinced by any story. Everything looked perfect.

She knew what that was like.

“Your Highness?” Dapifer repeated himself, leaning his head down slightly.

“Yes, yes,” she replied with a wave of her hoof, “plans and agendas. All neatly wrapped up. I understand.”

She could sense him standing there, staring.

“Go ahead and say it,” she urged. “Whatever it is that you are thinking, go ahead and say it.” She turned to look at him, and let her lips curl back into a smile to display her fangs. “I insist.”

“You are troubled, Your Highness,” he said. “It’s my duty to ask why.”

“Your duty? Of course it is,” she answered. “Don’t worry yourself. I’m fine.”

She stared at him for a moment, and then looked back out the window.

“May I speak freely, Your Highness?” he asked.

“Why not,” she laughed. “Impress me.”

“I don’t know if I consider myself your friend, but I do believe that I am the closest thing that you have to one in the city—and perhaps in all of Equestria. So, if you are unwilling to confide in me, you are going to have a difficult time in dealing with whatever personal issue it is that might be bothering you at any given time.” He raised his head up high. “Such as now.”

“Hmmph.” Her initial response was barely audible. The words that followed were quite clear, however. “Come here, Dapifer.” It only took him a second or two to step to her side. “What is it that you see outside?”

Craning his neck slightly, he tried to match her view. “The grounds of the castle, with the rest of Canterlot lying beyond.”

“Yes,” she purred—with something bestial beneath. “It’s lovely, isn’t it. So manicured and kept.”

“It is the finest garden in all of Equestria,” he replied. “For many centuries now, Princess Celestia has brought in the finest ponies to shape and maintain the grounds. I, personally, consider it absolutely wonderful.”

“Yes,” she droned. “Wonderful the way she tries to shape things to her personal vision, isn’t it? And you can’t even tell that it was virtually destroyed in the very recent past, can you?”

“Only if you know where to look,” he said.

“And why do you say that?”

“Well, I know those gardens. There were little details that I recall. Small subtleties that simply can’t be replaced.” He turned to look at her. “Why do you ask?”

She laughed softly. “It is the small things that make something unique, isn’t it? Any pony can copy an exact layout, but the details—the parts that most overlook—those are what create a truly one of a kind…experience.”

“Your Highness,” his voice became somewhat more resolute, “what is bothering you?”

Before any words passed her lips, she felt her response. Something growing from deep within her and building to a growl that she couldn’t contain. “I do not care for the way the sunlight is entering my chamber. It’s become too…glaring.”

He blinked. “Oh, I… Well, I can arrange for new curtains to be brought into the room, if you would like.”

She never got a chance to reply.

“Excuse me.” The voice was deep and smooth, like heavy velvet draped over the back of a chair. “I hope I’m not interrupting.”

They both turned to look at Fleur de Lis standing just inside the room, the door closed behind her. Neither had heard it ever open.

“Well well well, to what do I owe this visit?” Chrysalis asked.

Fleur stepped closer, her hooves barely making any noise on the floor. “I’ve been considering your offer, Princess. I’d like to accept.”

As Chrysalis’ lips pulled wide across her muzzle, her eyes narrowed. Her tongue slipped out and ran along her front teeth twice before pulling back inside.

“Don’t bother with the drapes, Dapifer. I do believe I’ve thought of another solution to help with my little sunlight problem.”

* * * * * * * *

The sun was high above the horizon. Celestia knew its exact location without even giving it a thought, but that didn’t keep her from looking at the skyline and watching its slow progress. She glanced over her shoulder at the bed. Luna lay there sleeping peacefully. Without realizing it happened, the view brought a smile to Celestia’s face.

And then a heavy sigh.

Luna was late again this morning. Fourth time in two weeks—not that she was keeping track of that sort of thing. Blaming it on Chrysalis would have been wonderful, had today not been one of the days when Princess Chrysalis was not serving on the Day Court. That meant she hadn’t had the long conversation to link together the two courts, because she didn’t see her today. She wasn’t supposed to see her, anyway.

Celestia shook her head sharply, driving out the thought. There was no conceivable reason for Luna to visit Chrysalis. The thing that concerned Celestia the most however, was the overwhelming fact that she kept thinking about that possibility. She kept seeing them together in her mind.

No. No, she wouldn’t think about this. Not again. A short walk to the door and beyond took her into the castle, where she could walk and clear her mind once more. Bring her some normalcy.

The morning activities were always her favorite. The bustling ponies walking about. The fresh odor of the halls as the smell of purity accompanied the cleaning crew. It was a new beginning, which she always appreciated. There is nothing like a new beginning. A chance to get things right and create new hope and future. Celestia had long lived by the concept that the past was something you could not change, so there was no point dwelling there. You learn from it and move on. Concentrate on the future, and work on the present, as it is the only thing that you can truly affect.

All of the ponies walking the hall showed the same awkwardness they had in recent times. The stammering. The confused bows. It was hard to repress the smile. It would take time for them to adjust, but time was the one luxury that she could afford.

The colors of the passage changed as she moved past clear glass and into the great hall of stained portraits. Every alternate window on either side of the hallway was an artistic masterpiece created specifically for Canterlot Castle. Images recreating some of Equestria’s finest moments in a colorful tableau radiating during the morning and evening hours of the day.

One by one they passed by, and she allowed herself to look at them as she slowly walked down the hall. The evening side displayed the great battles and enemies of Equestria and how those challenges were met and overcome. The daylight side displayed images of peace. The achievements, wonders, and heroes of current and bygone days.

She stopped, turning to look up at a particular image. The return of a long-lost princess. Behind her was the one commemorating the battle that allowed this wonderful moment—featuring the Elements of Harmony in their battle with Nightmare Moon. She looked at the image of her younger sister in the days before she accelerated her aging, and well before her return to the Nightmare Moon personae leading to her current look.

Celestia glanced to her right. There should be another window. One to celebrate the most glorious moment in Celestia’s life: her wedding day. Nothing was there. No commemoration of it at all. All of the ponies knew of their relationship, but she wondered how they would react to seeing it on display in this great hallway.

Walking a bit further, Celestia stopped before the next window. The newest one in the hallway. There had been some argument that it should represent the arrival and coronation of Princess Chrysalis—mostly from Princess Chrysalis it seemed—but that event, too, was missing. This image showed the elevation of one of Equestria’s heroes to a new role. Something so unique that it hadn’t happened before in the entire annals of this historic hallway.

The image of Twilight Sparkle and her rise to becoming an alicorn.

Without realizing it, Celestia sighed and then closed her eyes. Taking a deep breath, she opened her eyes back, the corners of them welling up, and swallowed back her emotion.

“Forgive me, Twilight,” she muttered, barely audible to herself. “Please, forgive me.”

Slowly, Celestia turned and walked further down and exited this hallway, moving deeper into the heart of the castle.

...to be continued